Take one egg (Humpty Dumpty), scramble (murder) and set the most underrated detective since Colombo on the case (Jack Spratt from the Nursery Crimes division) along with his side-kick (Mary, Mary). How’s that for a premise? Daft certainly. Dreadful? Dazzling?
We were split 50:50 split at the start of our book group. But after our discussion, the dreadfuls began to see the dazzling cleverness and the book ended with a respectable score. Try the following games for yourself.
1) Count the nursery rhyme / fairy tale references.
2) Discuss the conventions of said nursery rhyme/fairy tales and how Fforde abides by them. (Never for one minute does the reader question the reality or the humanity of his characters. I never thought that an egg could be so complex or that I’d ever feel sorry for the big, bad wolf. If I ever get my hands on those three little pigs …..)
3) Chuckle gleefully at the satirical pilloring of our contemporary world: the cult of celebrity, corruption in the police force, corruption in big business, “real life” crime magazines, tabloid press, genetic engineering.
4) Deconstruct detective fiction by referring to Father Knox’s 10 Golden Rules. There are those Fforde follows and those he doesn’t …. and then, because he does exactly as he likes, he both breaks and follows a rule on the same page. When finished with Father Knox, repeat by comparing plot elements with classic noir: Chandler, Cain, Hammett.
So much more than a simple whodunnit, this is a piece of postmodern brilliance, imaginatively executed …. just like Humpty Dumpty.
The Assassin's Song - M G Vassanji
The White Castle - Orhan Pamuk
Hysteria - Andrew Scull
The File - Tim Garton Ash
Ordinary Thunderstorms - William Boyd
Fighting It - Regi Claire
Foolish Mortals - Jennifer Johnston
The Bethlehem Murders - Matt Rees
Basil - Wilkie Collins
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher
Adam Gould - Julia O'Faolain
The House at Riverton - Kate Morton
Der Struwwelpeter auf Englisch - Translated by Mark Twain
Three Bags Full - Leonie Swann
Mystic Pig - Richard Katrovas
The Blue Fox - Sjon
The Latin American Challenge
1. The Blue Fox 
Inkheart - Cornelia Funke
The Enchanted April - Elizabeth von Arnim
I really enjoy Jasper Fforde and never would have picked this one up on my own without already having experienced his brilliance in The Eyre Affair. But after that first one, I have gulped each subsequent offering, chortling gleefully throughout. I can’t remember but I think this one has some lovely ties to The Well of Lost Plots, which is another of the Thursday Next novels rather than the Nursery Crimes novels. Clearly he’s just a very, very clever author. So glad you liked it too.
Oh I have quite a few of his books and have always been keen to hear what other people think of his stuff before I give itr a go and a review like this has set his books higher up my TBR pile… have you tried his Tuesday Next series?
Simon, I’m currently rereading the Thursday Next books. They are all excellent (with a glitch at book 5). I reviewed The Eyre Affair here.
Kristen – as a fellow Fforde fan, would you care to nominate a favourite chapter? I’m glad you mentioned “The Well of Lost Plots” – the anger management class for the cast of Wuthering Heights is sheer genius.
This one does sound clever. I’ve never read any Fforde… though The Eyre Affair is on my TBR list. I should delve into this one.
When I first read this one I was a little disappointed, but when I thought it through a bit more, and realised the link to the Well of Lost Plots, Idid realise how clever it was. And I really enjoyed The Fourth Bear. Can’t wait to read whatever Fforde comes out with next.